Ragatam Liberty

My thanks to the officers and committee for giving me the opportunity to judge this show and for their warm welcome. The relaxed atmosphere throughout the day allowed me to enjoy going over the exhibits which varied significantly in type and size. A few dogs I couldn?t span and a few were carrying a little excess weight which may be due to the time of year but is still preferable to handling a featherweight. I was pleased to see some quality carrot tails. Coats were at all stages, but it was a joy to go over those with the harsh, dense jackets true to type. I was pleased with all the class winners and the final line up in particular.

Thank you for your lovely entry at this fine venue. Thanks also to my efficient and helpful stewards without which we wouldn’t have a show! My main aim when judging is to find a dog that fits as near the breed standard as is possible ,but must have overall good dog conformation. It must be balanced standing and also, most definitely, when it is on the move. This is a hard task because the perfect dog in any breed has yet to be found. When judging on this occasion I did manage to find dogs that had good front angulation, allowing the necessary reach to cover the ground, coupled with adequate rear angulation to give drive to the assembly and so presented a good picture on the move with no change to the dog’s appearance. I had very few short stepping, short backed dogs with such poor construction that the rear becomes noticeably higher than the shoulder when they are on the move. Heads, as always, were very varied, some mouths were out of line, there were some missing premolars which if this perpetuates will alter the head shape. Feet were mostly thick and neat, coats varied and undercoats were in the main a little sparse, but in view of the winter we have just had they have probably spent a long time shedding them. All the dogs I judged today I could span, although chest shape was not always correct. Thank you to all exhibitors for allowing me the privilege of judging your dogs, which I enjoyed immensely.